Changeable sign for street-car purposes.



No. 763,988. 7 PATENTED JULY 5, l9 04. W. I. LARZELERE. GHANGEABLE SIGN FOR STREET OAR PURPOSES.

APPLIOATION FILED OCT-17. 1903.

/ NO MODEL.

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. is a specification.

Patented July 5, 1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WVASHINGTON I. LA RZELERE, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

CHANGEABLE SIGN FOR STREET-CAR PURPOSES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 763,988, dated July 5, 1904.

Application filed October 17,1903.

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WVAsHINe'roN I. LARZE- LERE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Changeable Signs for Street-Car Purposes, of which the following My invention relates to improvements in signs placed on the roof of a car on the outside and used to show plainly the route the car is going both day and night.

My present invention is an improvement on Patent No. 636,732, granted me November 7, 1899, fora changeable sign for street-car purposes, to which reference is respectfully made for a more detailed description of the character of sign to which my present invention relates. I have herein confined my description to said improvement and such parts of the device described in said patent as cooperate with my present improvement.

My invention will be readily understood from the following description and claims and from the drawings,. in Which Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved device aflixed to a street-car, the latter being shown in dotted lines and partly broken away. Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the sign- ;.-ame, taken on the line w w of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of one end of the spring-pressed Winding-roller, taken on the line .2 .2 of Fig. 2, showing means for applying more or less tension to said spring. Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the indicator-plate, showing the series of detachable name-slips Fig. 5 is a cross-section of the same, taken on the line y y of Fig. 4:; and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the toothed attachingplate for the name-strips.

A represents the end of a street or traction car, which is shown in dotted lines. A represents the roof thereof, above which out of view of the operator When in his ordinary position is affixed by suitable means the curtain-holding frame B, the operating mechanism and indicator-disk hereinafter described being placed below the roof within easy reach and view of the operator. In the frame are mounted rollers X X for having rolled there- Scrial No. 177,458. (No model.)

upon and stretched between them a flexible sign-curtain Z. This sign curtain is of translucent material and has thereon the names of the various routes the car may be destined to take, the namesappearin g through the front opening C of the frame. Sheets of glass WV IV may be placed to front and rear of the sign-curtain for protection and for permitting rays of light to be projected therethrough and through the sign for exposing the sign at night. As shown, the upper roller is spring-operated and the lower roller manually operated. The shaft of the lower roller has secured thereto a bevel gear H, with which a bevel-gear G on an operating-shaft E meshes. This operating-rod E is held at one end by a suitable lug or bracket D, fastened to frame B, and extends through the roof of the car, where it is held in place by a bracket D, secured to the under side of the car-roof. Operating-pinion F of indicatordisk J is fixed to the operating-rod and by means of its teeth transmits the required rotative motion to disk J to bring to the indicatorfinger K the name on the disk shown on the sign-curtain above. The names on the indicator-disk are irregularly spaced and so lined as to compensate for the increasing or |ecreasing diameter of the winding-rollers as the sign-curtain rolls on them and the resultant increase or decrease of movement. The lower end of the operating-rod forms a crankhandle E, to which is pivoted a spring-handle L, having a stop-rod N articulated therewith and engaging notches in a stationary ratchet-plate O for positioning the operatingrod against rotation after the proper sign has been exposed on the curtain.

The sign-curtain Z is made of cloth or other suitable pliable material, which is provided with the letteringorsignsrequired. In practice the material in different sign-curtains will vary, or the manner of applying the lettering, as by printing or otherwise, will cause variation in the thickness of the roll of the signcurtain when rolled on the rollers, or such variation may be due to other causes. These variations are especially noticeable in signcurtains of unusual length for accommodating a large number of changes of routes. In order to compensate for such variations to a nicety, I in my present improvement construct the indicator-disk with an outer flange I, forming an annular groove 2' between the disk and flange for receiving name or sign slips T, which are placed radially, or substantially so, about the face of the indicator-disk, the outer ends of the slips taking into the annular grooved under-the flange I, their inner ends converging toward the center of the disk. U is a retaining-plate, preferably cupshaped, having retaining-teeth u surrounding its outer edge for taking against the inner ends of the slips, the slips being compressed between the retaining-plate and the indicatordisk by having screws V pass through the plate into the disk. I have shown three of these screws, so that one of the screws may be released for relieving the slips at one side of the plate without danger of disturbing the arrangement of the other slips. This construction provides an exceptionally convenient means for suitably placing the name-slips at irregular points about the face of the disk for compensating for the increasing or decreasing diameter of the curtain-rolls as the curtain is rolled or unrolled and for adjusting or shifting the slips to a nicety, so as to make the proper name-slip register accurately with the corresponding name on the sign-curtain and to compensate for variations in curtains. My improved construction of indicator-disk also provides exceptionally convenient means for causing the indicator to conform to any size of sign-roller or length of sign-curtain and permits additions to be made to sign-curtains, adding new routes to the sign-curtain, and adding and rearranging names on the indicator-disk in convenient manner.

In order to provide selective tension for the sign-curtain, I provide the spring-operated roller with the spring S, secured at one end to the roller X and secured at the other end to the inner end of a hub R on ratchet-wheel R. The hub extends to the outside of the frame and has secured therein a shaft P,

disk and the adjustability of the spring providing nicely-coacting elements for producing eflicient results. The ratchet-wheel and pawl are located in a recess 6 in the side of the frame, the recess being closed by a cap 5', swinging on a pivot Z).

I prefer to provide the indicator-disk with a stop Q, so as to limit the turning of the rolls and prevent tearing of the curtain from the rolls.

Having thus fully descri'bed'my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In combination, with a changeable sign, an indicator-disk, name-slips therefor spaced irregularly and extending radially on the indicator-disk, and means for permitting adjustable positioning of said name-slips radially on said indicatordisk, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a flexible sign-curtain and rollers on which said sign-curtain is adapted to be rolled placed top and bottom of same located out of manual reach of the operator; mechanism connecting with one of the rollers, a shaft, and crank-handle therefor within manual reach of the operator, and spring mechanism connecting with the other roller, for operating the rollers; means for adjusting the tension of said spring mechanism, an irregularly-spaced indicator adjacent to the position of the operator, and means for operating the same from the crank-handle shaft, said irregularly-spaced indicator comprising an indicator-disk, name -slips and means for adjustably positioning the nameslips irregularly radially on the indicator-disk, substantially as described.

3. In a changeable sign for street or traction car purposes, the combination of a flexible sign-curtain, rollers on which the said sign-curtain is adapted to be rolled, means for operating said rollers comprising an operating-shaft and connecting-gearing, an indicator-disk and name-slips therefor, and means for adjustably positioning the name-slips irregularly radially on the indicator-disk, substantially as described. 7

4. In a changeable sign for street or traction car purposes, the combination of a frame having an opening, a flexible sign-curtain having names thereon arranged to successively appear at said opening, rollers on which said sign-curtain is adapted to be rolled, means for turning said rollers, an indicator comprising an indicator-disk and irregularly-spaced radially extending name slips therefor, means showing on the indicator the name on the signcurtain appearing at said opening, and means for securing said name-slips irregularly radially on the indicator-disk, substantially as described.

5. In a changeable sign for street or traction car purposes, the combination of aflexible sign-curtain, rollers on which said signcurtain is adapted to be rolled, an indicator comprising an indicator-disk and irregularlyspaced radially extending name slips therefor, operating means for said rollers and indicator, and means permitting adjustable positioning of said name-slips irregularly radially on the indicator-disk, substantially as described.

IIO

6. In a changeable sign for street or traction car purposes, the combination of a flexible sign-curtain, rollers on which said signcurtain is adapted to be rolled, an indicator comprising an indicator-disk and irregularlyspaced radially-extending name -slips therefor, operating means for said rollers and indicator, and means comprising a retainingplate for permitting adjustable positioning of said name-slips irregularly radially on the indicator-disk, substantially as described.

7 In a changeable sign for street or traction car purposes, the combination of a flexible sign-curtain, rollers on which said signcurtain is adapted to be rolled, an indicator comprising an indicator-disk and irregularlyspaced' radially extending name slips there- WVASHINGTON I. LARZELERE.

WVitnesses:

HERBERT F. HARDEN, HENRY N. BAUER. 

